My "2021 State of the Bills" series continues with a look at defensive tackle as the team heads into the offseason:
Under contract:
• Ed Oliver
• Star Lotulelei
• Quinton Jefferson
• Harrison Phillips
• Vernon Butler
• Justin Zimmer
• Brandin Bryant
Pending Free Agents:
None
State of the position:
Defensive tackle is the only position group on the entire Buffalo Bills roster that does not have a pending free agent. Seven different players are under contract already for 2021, including five regulars from this past season - Ed Oliver, Quinton Jefferson, Harrison Phillips, Vernon Butler, and Justin Zimmer.
Star Lotulelei is also under contract for 2021 after opting out of 2020. By doing that, his 2020 contract tolled, meaning it was pushed into 2021. That means he’s still under contract for three more seasons, and will carry a $7.6 million cap hit next season.
The Bills can’t release him to save that money. In fact, if they did, they’d take on an extra dead cap hit and he would count $12.3 million for not being on the roster.
There was already a lot of debate about Lotulelei’s role and how much of an impact he makes on the defense overall. He’s never been one to show up on a stat sheet, but as last season went on, it became more and more clear the Bills missed someone who provides what he does - an interior defensive lineman to tie-up blockers and let linebackers move more freely.
When the amendment to the collective bargaining agreement was signed before last season, it did not include opt-outs for 2021, but did include language that states they are possible depending on circumstances. The NFL and NFL Players' Association will get together and negotiate that.
If opting out of 2021 is on the table, who knows if Lotulelei decides to do that or not. As of right now, he’s coming back and will be a member of the Bills in 2021.
Oliver was the only defensive tackle to play more than 50% of the team’s snaps last season. However, as the No. 9 overall pick in 2019, he’s been underwhelming for many fans so far through two seasons.
He showed flashes of why the Bills selected him that high through the second half of his rookie season, but he’s the kind of player, given his size and style, that is more impactful when he has a bigger, space-eating tackle next to him who can command some double-teams. Without that this past season, Oliver didn’t make the impactful plays many had hoped for, finishing with three sacks and six tackles for loss.
However, Oliver plays tough, hard, to the whistle every down, and still has two years remaining on his rookie deal. He’s a good player, but the Bills need more from him going forward.
If Lotulelei does indeed come back, that should help Oliver.
Jefferson and Butler are in very similar situations. They both came to the Bills as free agents, Jefferson from the Seattle Seahawks and Butler from the Carolina Panthers. They were both a big part of the defensive line rotation, with Jefferson playing close to 48% of the defensive snaps, collecting 23 tackles and three sacks, and Butler exactly 40%, with 18 total tackles, but no sacks.
They both could also represent huge cap savings if released.
According to Spotrac, by releasing Jefferson, the Bills would save $6.5 million with a dead cap hit of $1.5 million. Buffalo would save over $6.8 million by moving on fro Butler, eating $1 million of dead cap space. So, combined, if both were released, the Bills would clear over $13.3 million on the 2021 salary cap, with only taking on $2.5 million in dead money.
With Lotulelei scheduled to come back and the lack of production the Bills got overall from their defensive line last season, these moves seem obvious.
But at least consider this: new players with no OTAs, preseason, etc., was a big reason the front-seven struggled most of the first half of last season, and then some beyond.
We could be looking at the same type of offseason.
The Bills have to replace those players, too, meaning more new players and starting over again with the same lack of time. Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier's defense is built on knowing roles and understanding fit. That takes time they normally get in the offseason.
Lotulelei coming back will help, because he knows the system and can fill one of those holes. However, I think the team has to, and will, at least, think about the repercussions of making those changes, so they aren’t a certainty to me right now.
Phillips will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2021. He returned to the field after a year-long rehab of his torn ACL suffered in Week 3 of 2019. That’s most likely a big reason why he had a slow start to the season and then was even inactive for four games.
I felt Phillips played some of the best football of his career towards the end of the season, racking up 19 total tackles over the team’s final seven games, including the playoffs, where he had nine tackles in three games. That’s a good indication that he was close to being fully recovered from the knee injury, and hopefully ready to have a much more consistent 2021 from the start.
Zimmer was on the team’s practice squad to start the season, but signed to the active roster in late October, proving to be a valuable addition. Less than two weeks after that, he punched the ball from Patriots quarterback Cam Newton’s arms late in the fourth quarter as New England was driving to possibly win the game. That resulted in a fumble recovered by the Bills, sealing a 24–21 win.
He also showed off his speed for a 6-foot-3, 292-pound player, running down the field as part of the convoy after Taron Johnson’s 101-yard interception return in the team’s Divisional Round playoff win over the Baltimore Ravens. The 28-year-old finished the season playing 12 games, collecting 21 total tackles and a sack.
The deal he signed in October was for two years, so he will be back at training camp in 2021.
Bryant suited up for one game in 2020, collecting a tackle against the Patriots while playing seven total snaps. Otherwise, he spent the season on the practice squad and signed a reserve/future contract for 2021.
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2021 State of the Bills:
- Quarterback
- Running back
- Tight end
- Wide receiver
- Offensive line
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